OKC Thunder Looking To Get Back On Right Side Of One Of NBA's Best Rivalries

The Thunder and Spurs were ranked as one of the league's best rivalries in a recent ESPN article.

May 30, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) drives against San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) in the fourth quarter during game seven of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

One of the best clashes of next season will feature the Thunder. 

Basketball is best when some of the best teams are playing, and luckily for OKC fans, the Thunder make up half of the formula. Having won a championship so recently, it seems like every opponent gives OKC its all. This has made for some great games and tests for Oklahoma City, and recently has brought one of the biggest rivalries in the entire league. 

The San Antonio Spurs emerged as one of the brightest teams in the league last year, and challenged the Thunder for the Western Conference throne. San Antonio would eventually get the better of them in a Western Conference Finals Series, that was some of the best basketball seen all year. Now, with the two teams expected to open up the entire season on opening night, the rivalry is crowned as one of the best in the league. 

ESPN recently released an article on the 10 best rivalries to watch this upcoming season, and to no surprise, the Thunder and Spurs were high on the list, sitting at No. 2. The two young teams now seem to be some of the main faces of the league, and are going to be for the foreseeable future. 

Both have superstars that are dominating the league in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama, and are also littered with young talent ready to become faces of the league in the future. While this rivalry is highly anticipated this upcoming season, the Thunder will be looking to get back on the right side of it. 

Not only did the Thunder get sent home by the Spurs in the playoffs, but they didn’t fair well in the regular season either. San Antonio won four out of the five times the two teams met during the regular season, and came a little too close to taking the first seed in the Western Conference. 

Now, with a new season on the horizon, the rivalry needs to be flipped on its head. Hopefully, the Thunder will have a healthy roster throughout and will be able to come at the Spurs with full force, unlike last year. If this is the case, OKC will have a great shot at taking back the crown in the West and will have another shot at an NBA Title. 

Rivalries bring the best out of any team, and this season, the Thunder will be hoping that the magnitude of their rivalry can bring out their best basketball.